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Paleo pizza sauce recipe tomato basil oregano

Recipe: Pizza Sauce

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The secret to a good paleo pizza is in the pizza sauce! This combination of onion, garlic, oregano and basil is super easy to make and creates a perfect base for your toppings. No one will ever suspect your pizza isn't made the conventional way with gluten heavy flour! Find out how to make my grain-free paleo pizza base here

Recipe: Pizza Sauce
 
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Recipe type: Sauces & Condiments
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Ingredients
  • 200g tomato paste
  • 250ml water
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 teaspoon basil
Instructions
  1. mix the ingredients together thoroughly with a whisk
  2. spoon the pizza sauce out onto the pizza bases as required

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I've seen a few brands of tomato paste with added herbs – make sure the one you use is plain, with nothing added.

You don't need to cook the pizza sauce, as you'll be cooking it with the pizza. But if you want a thicker sauce, you'll want to heat and stir it until it thickens up. This is great to freeze in small pizza-size batches, so it's ready to go whenever you fancy a home-made paleo pizza! Frozen, it should last for up to three months.

chilli_tomato bacon soup recipe_paleo_diet

Recipe: chilli, tomato & bacon soup

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This is one of my go-to batch cooking recipes as it provides lots of portions of soup, perfect for taking to work. And who could resist a tomato and bacon soup? It has bacon in it, after all. Depending on what I have at home, I often use tinned tomatoes, instead of fresh. I tend to have chicken stock in the freezer, but otherwise, try it with bone broth – or even water if you have neither.

Recipe: chilli, tomato & bacon soup
Recipe type: Soups
Prep time: 
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Ingredients
  • Dash of extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 large brown onions, finely diced
  • 8 bacon slices, chopped
  • 15 - 20 tomatoes, chopped (depending on your preference you may choose to peel and de-seed)
  • 1½ litres of chicken stock
  • 4 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 5 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
  • sea salt and black pepper
Instructions
  1. Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat and gently fry the onions and bacon.
  2. When the onions become soft, add in the tomatoes, stock, paste, chili and seasoning
  3. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, stiring occasionally
  4. After about 20 minutes, remove from the heat
  5. Blitz in a blender until your desired consistency has been reached
  6. Serve and enjoy!

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sun-dried tomatoes recipe paleo diet oven dehydrator how to

Recipe: Sun-dried tomatoes

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Ok so my recipe isn’t strictly accurate, as my tomatoes are oven-dried rather than sun-dried – and my method doesn’t take 7 days, but the end result is the close enough. These are such a simple alternative to buying sun-dried tomatoes, and come with no preservatives or added nasties.

Use different colours and varieties of tomatoes and put these in a jar, to make a beautiful and practical gift.

Instead of basil, you can experiment with your favourite combinations. Try some other Italian herbs, garlic or even lemon for some variety. Capsicum (bell pepper) is also great dried out using this method and complements the sun-dried tomatoes perfectly.

Recipe: Sun dried tomatoes
Recipe type: Sides
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
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Ingredients
  • 250g tomatoes (I used regular cherry tomatoes, but have got some colourful varieties growing in my garden to try next time)
  • Splash of extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon of dried basil
  • Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 150C (300F)
  2. Slice the tomatoes in half, lengthways (it helps to keep them all evenly sized)
  3. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients, ensuring the tomato halves are evenly coated.
  4. Line a baking tray with grease-proof paper, and arrange the tomatoes evenly (it’s fine if some face up and some down)
  5. Bake for 2 – 3 hours, ensuring they don’t burn. You’ll want the tomatoes to retain a little moisture to ensure a nice texture.
  6. Store you sun-dried tomatoes in an airtight container in the fridge.

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Alternatively you can simply dry out the tomatoes in a dehydrator, if you have one.

I love sun-dried tomatoes as a simple stand alone, with goats cheese, avocado and pine nuts, but they’re also a great addition to lots of recipes. Try them in omelettes, on pizza, in chili or even as a secret ingredient in some homemade ketchup.

sun-dried tomatoes recipe paleo diet oven dehydrator how to

Tomato & Chilli Relish Paleo diet recipe sauce dip

Recipe: Tomato & Chilli Relish

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What better way to finish off a paleo burger, than with a generous serving of home-made relish? This relish is tomato and chilli – but unlike most relish recipes, I've used medjool dates instead of sugar to add some sweetness.

If you like your relish hot, add some more chillies to your mixture.

Recipe: Tomato & Chilli Relish
Recipe type: Sauces & Condiments
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
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Ingredients
  • 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 white onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely diced
  • ½ eggplant (aubergine)
  • 3 medjool dates, diced
  • 80ml red wine vinegar
  • 4 chillies, chopped (try a mixture of red and green)
  • ½ tsp fennel seeds
  • ½ tsp coriander seeds
  • 250g cherry tomatoes
  • celtic sea salt & ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Heat the olive oil in a pan over a low heat
  2. Add the onion and garlic, and fry until they start to turn soft & translucent
  3. Add in the eggplant and dates, and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring often
  4. Pour in the red wine vinegar and reduce the temperature to a simmer. Simmer until the liquid has reduced to approximately half its original volume
  5. Add in the chillies, fennel, coriander and tomatoes, the reduce the heat to a low setting and stir regularly
  6. After about half an hour, season, then remove from the heat. Allow to cool before serving.

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Tomato & Chilli Relish Paleo diet recipe sauce dip

Paleo recipe simple salsa-min

Simple Salsa

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What to do when you have too many tomatoes? Make salsa of course! Salsa is a great dip and I often serve it with my home-made burgers. This recipe plays it safe, but for an extra kick, add some finely chopped fresh chilli to the mixture!

Simple Salsa
 
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Recipe type: Sauces & Condiments
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Ingredients
  • Handful fresh coriander, chopped
  • 1 red onion, diced finely
  • 3 large ripe tomatoes, diced
  • Juice of ½ lime
  • Splash of olive oil
  • Sea salt to taste
Instructions
  1. It couldn't get much simpler - mix the ingredients together & season to taste. I immediately transfer into a jar that I can serve from.
  2. The jar should last for a few days in the fridge, make sure it's air tight.

How do you make salsa? I'd love to hear your secret ingredients and tips!

Paleo recipe simple salsa-min

Roasted Spiced Salmon Fillets with Tomato and Mint Salsa paleo diet recipe fish-min

Recipe: Roasted Spiced Salmon Fillets with Tomato and Mint Salsa

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Drawing inspirations from the Middle East, the spices in this recipe compliment the salmon without overpowering it, which is absolutely essential when cooking a high quality piece of fish. The salmon goes lovely and crispy on the outside, but still moist in the middle – just as it should be.

Spiced Salmon Ingredients:

  • 4 thick fillets of wild, organic salmon
  • 1 clove of garlic, crushed
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • A pinch of nutmeg

For the salsa:

  • 6 cherry tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

Spiced Salmon How To:

1)     Chop the tomatoes in half and scoop out the seeds. Roughly chop, then combine with the mint and parsley. Drizzle over the honey, balsamic and olive oil, and whizz together. Set in the fridge to chill.

2)     Preheat the oven to 200C / 400F / gas mark 6. Add the oil and lemon juice to a roasting dish, stir, and allow to heat up with the oven.

3)     When the oven reaches the desired temperature, remove the roasting dish from the pan. Add the crushed garlic and spices, and whizz together to create a fragrant oil. Whilst the oil is still hot, throw in the salmon, tossing it in the oil to evenly coat. Return to the oven skin side down, and roast for 10 minutes.

4)     Remove the salmon from the oven – the outside should be nice and crisp, but the inside still moist. Serve with the salsa.

Roasted Spiced Salmon Fillets with Tomato and Mint Salsa paleo diet recipe fish-min

Paleo tomato ketchup sauce red recipe primal diet

Recipe: Paleo Tomato Ketchup

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It is so hard to find a tomato ketchup recipe that doesn't add in lots of sugar! Finally with a lot of tweaking, I’ve come up with my favourite Paleo tomato sauce recipe. A home made burger just isn't the same without tomato ketchup.

Paleo Tomato Ketchup Ingredients:

  • 15 Medium Tomatoes
  • 2 Onions, Chopped and Fried in Coconut Oil
  • 4 Garlic Cloves, Crushed and Fried in Coconut Oil
  • 1 Red Capsicum (Bell Pepper)
  • 100ml (4floz) Red Wine Vinegar
  • 1 Teaspoon Celtic Sea Salt
  • 1 Teaspoon Paprkia
  • Pinch Cayenne Pepper
  • 1 Teaspoon Mustard Seeds
  • 1 Teaspoon Black Peppercorns
  • 6 Cloves
  • 3cm (1 inch) Peeled & Chopped Ginger

Paleo Tomato Ketchup How To:

Chop up the tomatoes and capsicum and along with the onion and garlic, bring to the boil in a pan of the red wine vinegar.

Stir occasionally, allow the mixture to reduce to a thicker consitancy.

Remove from the heat and puree in a blender to your desired level of smoothness, before returning to the pan over the heat.

In some muslin or a tea strainer, add the seeds, peppercorns, cloves and ginger and add to the pan.

Reduce the heat to simmer and cover until it thickens up to your liking.

Once ready, remove the muslin or strainer and bottle the ketchup and store in the fridge.

I’d love to hear how you make ketchup? What do you do differently?

Paleo tomato ketchup sauce red recipe primal diet

Tomato-Free Bolognese Recipe paleo diet dinner lunch spaghetti-min

Tomato-Free Bolognese Recipe

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As I wrote about yesterday, I'm currently trying to avoid tomatoes and undertake a low-salicylate Paleo diet. I usually use a lot of tomatoes in my cooking, as they are a great base for sauces and meals. My favourite dishes, ragu, bolognese and chilli all use lots of tomatoes, so I've been experimenting to find an alternative.

Since tomatoes are a nightshade, this recipe will be helpful to those avoiding nightshades too. I've also just realized that tomatoes have quadrupled in price in the last few months – so this is also good for the budget!

I used carrots and beetroot to make the “tomato” sauce, which I then used exactly as I would a real tomato sauce with the rest of the ingredients in this bolognese. I'm not that keen on beetroot on it’s own but in this dish with all of the other flavours, it was a great addition.

Tomato-Free Bolognese Recipe
Recipe type: Dinner
Prep time: 
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If you avoid salicylates or just don't tollerate tomatoes very well, this tomato-free bolognese recipe will meet your needs for a tomato based sauce - but without the tomatoes! It tastes great, and LOOKS very tomatoey!
Ingredients
  • Carrots (I used about 9)
  • Beetroot (I used 4)
  • Leek, diced
  • 3 diced onions
  • Parsnip
  • 7 mushrooms, sliced
  • Pork mince (500g)
  • Beef mince (500g)
  • Coconut oil
  • Coconut aminos
  • Garlic powder
  • Oregano
  • Cinnamon
  • Cayenne pepper
  • Ground chilli
  • Salt & Pepper
Instructions
  1. I peeled and roughly chopped the carrots, beetroot & parsnip and added them to a large pan of boiling water
  2. Meanwhile, in another pan I sautéed the onions in some coconut oil until they turned translucent
  3. Next, I added the mince and a splash of coconut aminos
  4. Once the meat had all browned, I added the leek, mushrooms and a small amount of each of the herbs and spices (I don’t use very much, but adjust according to how hot you like it – and how little you like beetroot!)
  5. I allowed the meat mixture to simmer on a low heat, stirring regularly, and adding water from the carrot & beetroot pan as it dried out
  6. Once the carrots and beetroot's started to soften, I turned the heat off and puréed in the blender
  7. With the tomato-free “tomato sauce” ready, I added it to the meat pan and allowed it to simmer for a few minutes before serving

If you have any suggestions for alternatives to tomatoes, please share in the comments below…

Tomato-Free Bolognese Recipe paleo diet dinner lunch spaghetti-min

Paleo Breakfast Salmon Burgers recipe mushrooms-min

Paleo Breakfast: Salmon Burgers Recipe

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I've been trying out lots and lots of new ideas for Paleo Breakfast Recipes (more on that soon!) and was particularly pleased with Sunday's creation. I could eat eggs every day, but I know a lot of people get fed up with eggs – and believe it or not bacon, so this Recipe is something different.

For more breakfast recipes, check out my brand new Paleo Breakfast Recipe Book – I hope you love it as much as I do!

With just three “main” ingredients, it couldn't be much easier to make either.

Ingredients: –

Two large Portabella mushrooms
Two large tomatoes (as close in size to the mushrooms as possible)
Salmon (I used two pieces from the fishmongers, about 500g)
Coconut Oil
Salt (I used Celtic seat salt)
Fresh Lime
Paprika

Method: –

• I preheated the oven to 200C (400F) whilst I washed the tomatoes and mushrooms.

• I cut the stalks off the mushrooms – carefully – and set them aside (to add to a batch of Paleo Chilli; waste not want not)

• I then cut the mushrooms into two slices. Once I’d cut off the top and bottom, I cut the tomatoes into four slices each.

• I had intended to use a biscuit cutter, but I actually found it easier to use a large glass (similar in diameter to the mushrooms), to cut 8 rings out of the salmon.

• I arranged the mushrooms, tomatoes and salmon onto a baking tray and brushed with coconut oil, then topped with a little salt.

• I cooked for about ten minutes, then assembled the burgers, starting with the bottom slice of the mushroom, alternating the tomato and salmon – and ending with the mushroom top.

• I served with a squeeze of lime, a pinch of paprika (and some spinach leaves).

This was a really simple breakfast to make, but looked impressive and was very filling.

If you give it a try, I’d love to hear what you think of the Recipe, below! What do you think about fish for breakfast?

Paleo Breakfast Salmon Burgers recipe mushrooms-min

Paleo pizza recipe grain-free

Paleo Pizza

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I had some grain loving friends coming round for dinner at short notice, so I wanted to make something that didn't look Paleo at first glance – and also used things I already had.  Pizza seemed like a good choice, as it seems like such a non-Paleo food!  Of course, my pizza used almond meal instead of flour and good quality grass fed meat.

This was the first time I've tried a Paleo pizza and I'll probably experiment with the crust a little next time, perhaps adding coconut flour.  I'm wondering if I could even make it on sliced eggplant and do away with a traditional base altogether?

Paleo Pizza
Recipe type: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
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Ingredients
For the base:
  • 300g Almond meal
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 tablespoons of coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, oregano, basil & salt
For the sauce:
  • Tin organic diced tomatoes
  • Tin tomato paste
  • 1 crushed garlic clove
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
For the topping:
  • Onion
  • Capsicum
  • Mushrooms
  • Cherry Tomatoes
  • Beef
  • Kangaroo Steak
  • Coconut Oil
Instructions
  1. I preheated the over to 180 degrees.
  2. I put the crust ingredients in a bowl and mixed them together with a wooden spoon until a ball emerged.
  3. I then greased a baking tray with coconut oil and pressed out the dough trying to cover as much of the tray as possible, whilst keeping the dough relatively even.
  4. I put the base in the oven for 15 minutes until it started to turn crispy.
  5. I put the sauce ingredients in a pan and simmered for about 15 minutes. I then used my blender to achieve a "sauce" consistency
  6. I sliced, then browned the meat in a pan of coconut oil before setting it aside.
  7. I then fried the vegetables in coconut oil for a few minutes.
  8. Once everything was ready I spread the sauce on the crust and added to meat and vegetables.
  9. It was then returned to the oven for another 20 minutes, cut and served!

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It was very well received – as demonstrated by no leftovers – and prompted lots of questions about paleo!  It's nice to make things like this that show how broad paleo food can be.  A nice occasional treat!

Have you tried a paleo pizza?  I'd love to hear how you made yours?
Paleo pizza recipe grain-free